NE Kansas district to vote on electing judges

Leavenworth  Residents in Leavenworth and Atchison counties will vote in November on whether district court judges will be elected, rather than appointed by the governor.

Abbie Hodgson, spokeswoman for the Kansas secretary of state, says a petition to put the election of judges on the ballot has been verified as having enough valid signatures.

The Leavenworth Times reported Wednesday that voters will be asked if they wish to replace the current system for appointing judges.

Currently, the 1st Judicial District, which encompasses the two counties, has a commission to nominate candidates to fill a judicial vacancy, with the governor making the final decision. Judges face public retention votes every four years.

Hodgson said the petition needed to have at least 1,158 valid signatures to be valid.